All of us amateur artists have heard, or indeed experienced, how difficult it is to draw realistic eyes (although I would contest that the nose is the hardest facial feature). Whether you’re doodling in the corner of your math homework or trying to capture the likeness of a model, there are many components involved in making an eye actually look like an eye. Here are my five main tips and steps on how to draw an eye looking straight ahead using graphite pencil.
1. The Outline of the Eye
Start by sketching basic shapes: the eyebrow, the eye shape, the iris and the pupil. Additionally, draw a square, oval, circle, etc half in the pupil and half in the iris to represent glare from a light source. Pay special attention to the iris: the bottom should rest on the lower eyelid and the top should be covered by the upper eyelid. Both the iris and the pupil should be circles, and the pupil should be just underneath the upper eyelid.
Make sure the outline is not too dark, as you don’t want it to show through at the end. Check out this link by RapidFireArt on how to draw eye shapes if you’re struggling to begin.
2. Shade in the Pupil and the Iris
Shade in the pupil and iris as they appear on your model. Keep these three key points in mind:
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The iris is usually darker around the outside edge and lightens towards the centre. Try drawing spokes (short straight lines) of varying length and density from the pupil or from the outside edge, and blending them with your finger. This is what creates a translucent effect.
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Remember the shape you drew to represent glare? Leave it mostly unshaded, as this will become the brightest part of the eye. Contrarily, fill in the rest of the pupil as dark and smooth as possible.
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Shade in a shadow directly under the upper eyelid to add depth, lightening into the corners of the eye.
3. Shade in the Eye and the Skin
Don’t leave the eyeball white – shade it in so that it looks somewhat like a sphere. Use graduated shading (see here for an explanation of what graduated tone is and some practice exercises) to build up tone of the eyelids, cover the outline detail, and darken the creases around the eye shape. Use a kneaded eraser (if you don’t have one, a normal eraser is fine) to dab areas that need to be lightened or highlighted, such as the eye whites, lower lash area, and corner of the eye near the tear duct.
4. Eyebrows and Eyelashes
Pay attention to the direction and curvature of growth. Eyelashes should be drawn with curved lines darker than the eyebrow and longer towards the outer edge of the eye.
5. Touch-ups
Darken the pupil, creases, shadows, and clean the highlights. Additionally, you can try adding eyelash reflections to the glare shape or adding subtle blood vessels to the eye white. Don’t be afraid to add lots of shading and go dark – it adds lots of depth and makes a huge difference!
See here if you want to learn to draw eyes from a side point of view, or if you prefer to learn from videos see this Youtube link on drawing a pair of eyes. And remember: don’t worry if your first sketch looks like an abstract depiction of a half-cut avocado. With practice we improve!
Image sources: featured image/1/2/3/4/5
I loved reading this, thanks for sharing your strategies Rachael! Mine still looks like a half-cut avocado.. 🙁